Judgement Day
by vanillafluffy
Summary: After the events in "Bulletville", Boyd Crowder continues pursuit of his quarry and resolves his crisis of faith. Spoilers for season finale, not the canon resolution.


In the hours since his "exile", Boyd Crowder has tried to make sense of the day's events. Is he delusional in his beliefs, or is the Lord testing him, like the trials of Job? He tries to think of a Biblical parallel that mirrors Bo's transgressions. Most stories he knows are of sons being disappointments to their fine, upstanding fathers. The only thing coming to mind that's the other way around is Noah getting drunk and rolling around naked. While that's not seemly for a man of God, it's not on the same level as murdering a half-dozen men out of pure meanness.

The fact that his daddy is dead now doesn't make Boyd feel any better. At this very moment, Bo is meeting his Maker, facing judgement for his life of sin and wickedness. Hellfire surely awaits him.

As yet, he is undecided about what he'll do when he catches up to that young woman from Florida. The Scripture on the subject is oft-misquoted: "'Vengeance is Mine,' saith the Lord. 'I shall reap.'" It's the last part that people tend to leave off. God promises to take care of things in His own good time...much as Boyd would like to see a sign, to have some clear message as to why his flock was killed, to know what chastisement to administer to his father's murderess, it's really in the Lord's hands, and he knows it.

Likely she's headed for I-75, it's the main southbound thoroughfare. Boyd steers the Caddy in that direction.

Blue lights are flashing up ahead. He slows cautiously. Five official cars have surrounded a black SUV with a shot-out back window and a dark-haired young woman is handcuffed and being led to one of the cruisers.

A touch of a smile lightens Boyd's mouth. The Lord has reaped.

He turns toward Harlan at the next intersection. They don't make 'em like this anymore. His daddy's car has been a feature of his life since damn near forever. He spent childhood aftrnoons washing and waxing Old Blue, learned to drive behind this very steering wheel, and experienced his first carnal knowledge in its backseat, He wonders if he can claim it as his inheritance-there's no reason to repudiate the vehicle because of the owner's venality.

Thinking of Bo's machinations, he wonders if Johnny is dead or alive. His head still hurts from the one-sided beating he took, although it's nothing much compared to the bullet hole in his shoulder. That feels like ground glass, and he's gonna have to look up that ex-Army medic who'll look the other way at an injury a real doctor would have to report. Boyd can't fault his cousin for his actions, cowardly act of self-preservation that it was. It hadn't done him any good in the long run. "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword," he says aloud. That's if Johnny's dead, he reminds himself. Think positive: Maybe he's been rescued and redeemed, wouldn't that be wonderful?

He notices a figure trudging along the side of the road It's a Christian thing to do, so he pulls over just after he passes the man to offer him a ride.

What he doesn't expect is for the man to turn tail and take off running, but it occurs to Boyd that his late father's Cadillac is a landmark of sorts, and that some people may, not unreasonably, regard it as a symbol of evil

The panic-stricken man doesn't get far; he stumbles and sprawls headlong onto the grass of the shoulder, and Boyd gets out of the car and hurries to him. Let this poor wretch know that Bo Crowder has no power to hurt hiim any more. Let him know that the Lord has reaped.

"Don't kill me!" begs the man, who's lying there, still face-down, hands covering his ears as if not hearing a bullet will reduce its impact.

The damnedest thing is, Boyd knows that voice. Recognizes the windbreaker the man is wearing, now that he looks more closely at it. "Jody McCreary, is that you?"

Jody sits up, staring at him. "Boyd? Oh my God, Boyd-it was terrible! They're all dead!"

Boyd nods. "How did you escape?" he asks, helping his follower to his feet,

"I was away out at the privy when they came rolling in," Jody explains. "There wasn't nothing I could do, me against all of them, so I just hunkered down..." He's practically weeping, and Boyd pats his shoulder as he holds the passenger door open. "After they got through with stringing our guys up and drove off, I lit out of there. I been out in the woods all night, it was awful. I don't know how those old-time prophet fellas did it for forty days and forty nights."

How did he not notice that Jody hadn't been among the dead? Undoubtedly he'd been in shock at the time, not thinking as clearly as he should have been. "I thank God that you were delivered from the hands of our enemies," he says to Jody. "And perhaps it will renew your faith to learn that the perpetrators of those vile deeds have paid the ultimate price."

"Did you...?" Jody looks uneasy.

"I did not." Boyd says calmly. "I turned it over to the Lord and He did not disappoint me. You may be all that remains of my flock,but I rejoice that He saw fit to spare you."

"Even if it's just us for now, that's okay," Jody says as Boyd pulls back onto the road. "You know what it says in the Bible."

He knows quite a bit about what the Good Book says, but he's powerfully curious to see what wisdom Jody has gained during his spiritual journey. "About what, in particular?"

"Where the Lord said, 'If two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in your midst.'."

His spirit is lightened. "Amen, brother, amen."


End file.
